Acquisition Of Main-Clause Wh-Questions In Egyptian Arabic-English And Spanish-English Bilingual Children, Riham H. Mohamed

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examines the production and judgment of Egyptian Arabic (henceforth EA) main-clause wh-questions in EA-English bilingual children living in Ontario, Canada, or in the United Kingdom. The three comparison groups are EA monolingual children and EA monolingual adults living in Egypt, and first-generation Egyptian immigrants. The results are compared to previous research on the acquisition of obligatory subject-verb (S-V) inversion in Spanish wh-questions.

The focus of this study is to investigate the potential role of cross-linguistic influence in narrow syntactic structures. Until fairly recently, it was believed that only structures that exhibit syntax-pragmatics interfaces are vulnerable to cross-linguistic influence …

Beyond Rank Attainment: Examining The Nature And Function Of Dominance And Prestige In Teams, Lynden Jensen

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Social hierarchies are fundamental to human societies, shaping group dynamics and outcomes. Ongoing debates attempt to understand their functional and dysfunctional consequences. While the conflict account of hierarchy emphasizes the potentially detrimental conflict-inducing effects of hierarchies, the functionalist account proposes that hierarchies create contexts conducive to coordination. This study investigates if team-level dominance and prestige processes might account for these diverging consequences of hierarchy with dominance fueling conflict-prone environments and prestige nurturing coordination processes. Additionally, it examines whether the inherently competitive nature of team-level dominance yields more favorable outcomes in highly competitive, zero-sum, contexts.

Across two studies, I investigated the …

Needs Assessment And Program Evaluation Of A Peer Mentorship Program For Undergraduate Health Sciences Students, Chris W. Ruffell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract

High post-secondary degree dropout rates cost individuals, institutions, and governments around the world hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and these rates appear to be increasing in many parts of the world. Peer-mentorship programs have been proposed as a cost-effective method for increasing post-secondary success and ultimately reducing dropout rates, however, few studies to date have evaluated programs that were designed using student feedback. The purpose of the present study was to take an existing peer-mentorship program, modify it using feedback collected from students, and quantitatively evaluate the results. Survey responses suggested that the program improved student transition to …

Neural Responses To Magnetic Orientation Information In Songbirds, Madeleine Ir Brodbeck

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Effective navigation and orientation is essential for animals to survive. The study of migratory birds provides insights into these processes, particularly through mechanisms like the geomagnetic compass, which uses Earth's magnetic field for directional information. A brain region in songbirds relevant to this is cluster N, known for its potential role in processing geomagnetic information. Notably, cluster N appears exclusive to nocturnally migratory birds, being active solely at night, and lesion studies reveal that an intact cluster N is necessary for geomagnetic compass orientation. However, given the scarcity of empirical data concerning cluster N, substantial questions persist regarding its function. …

Lighting The Way Of The Learner: Towards A Social Virtue Epistemology In Aḥmad Al-Ṣaghīr’S The Faqīh’S Lantern, Amani Khelifa

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This thesis offers an original translation and analysis of a West African didactic poem in Islamic ethics and law, by the Mālikī-Ashʿarī Mauritanian scholar Aḥmad al-Ṣaghīr (d. 1272 AH/1856 CE) called The Faqīh’s Lantern (Miṣbāḥ al-Faqīh). In addition to the critical translation, I examine the poem thematically through the lens of social virtue epistemology. Chapter 1 sketches the background of the text and author, positioning the author historically as a product of a rich scholarly and pedagogical tradition while noting Mauritania’s contemporary place in the North American Muslim imagination. Chapter 2 is the translation of the text, making …

Developing And Validating A Measure Of Transformational Followership, Noelle Baird

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Leadership and followership are inherently interdependent, yet research has primarily focused on the unilateral influence of leaders. To advance a more balanced perspective and highlight how followers can positively contribute to the leadership process, I conceptualized and validated a measure of transformational followership. Transformational followership represents leaders’ perceptions of effective followership tendencies that enable productive, generative, and motivating engagements with and for their leader. After conducting a comprehensive literature review of both followership and leadership research, I created an initial item pool which was then subjected to rigorous testing across three distinct phases. Phase 1 leveraged feedback from organizational …

Quantifying Neuromelanin Content Across Varying Magnetic Field Strengths: A Comparative Analysis, Laiba Rizwan

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Neuromelanin (NM) is an insoluble dark pigment molecule that is found in the substantia nigra of the human brain. Due to its paramagnetic nature, NM can be imaged using MRI in the form of neuromelanin sensitive contrast. This method, known as Neuromelanin Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NM-MRI) allows non-invasive imaging of the human substantia nigra through its by-product, NM. NM-MRI research has been mostly done using lower field strength (3 or 1.5 Tesla) MRI scans. The advent of high field strength imaging, e.g., 7 Tesla (7T) provides the opportunity to study neuromelanin production sites with higher spatial resolution and enhanced …

The Embodied Rhetoric Of Cognitive Labour, Shubhayan Chakrabarti

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This dissertation traces the roots of neoliberal selfhood to the rationalist ontology of modernity in the 1600s. The historical tension between materialism and immaterialism is expressed in the historicisation of work into Fordism and post-Fordism where embodied factory toil is apparently replaced by immaterial work, recalling Descartes’ mind-body split. If post-Fordist work addresses the Marxist critique of alienation in its emphasis on entrepreneurial inner selves, it does not explain the post-Fordist preoccupation to efficiently “Taylorise” the body through obsessive productivity. I argue that the factory prevails in the entrepreneur’s adoption of factory efficiency as a learnt behaviour from the Fordist …

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Mood Induction In Virtual Reality, Julia V. Ignaszewski

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Mood induction procedures (MIPs) are commonly used by researchers who seek to examine affective states and their effects on other outcomes of interest. Despite their popularity, MIPs do not generate the same type of intense and influential emotions that are caused by life events, creating an empirical gap between naturalistic and experimentally manipulated emotion. Researchers have begun exploring the use of virtual reality (VR) to address these flaws, as its engaging and immersive nature could confer higher ecological validity for laboratory-induced emotions. This study compared the effectiveness of fear-elicitation via a VR cinema MIP to that of a standard film …

Teachers’ Work: Communicating On Difficult Knowledge In Ontario Schools, Zsofia Agoston Villalba

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This thesis examines how K-12 teachers in Ontario navigate the complexities of teaching "difficult knowledge"—topics such as racial and ethnic injustices, Indigenous perspectives, immigration experiences, and gender issues—within the parameters of the school and the curriculum. Utilizing an institutional ethnography approach, the study examines the curriculum as an institutional text that coordinates and shapes teachers’ practices. Working with and against the curriculum, teachers find innovative ways to engage their students on difficult knowledge topics. Based on interviews with 12 K-12 teachers, this research explores teachers’ work and pedagogical approaches. They employ diverse teaching methods like storytelling, open dialogues, and collaborative …

Investigating The Language Of Time: Evaluating The Use And Comprehension Of Before And After, Kimberley R. Henderson

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Before-initial sentences are thought to be more difficult to comprehend than after-initial sentences because they structurally mismatch the temporal order of real-world events (Münte et al., 1998). Although event knowledge is known to affect how people understand before/after-initial sentences, little is known about the role of language knowledge in comprehending these sentences. A corpus analysis of before/after-initial sentences revealed that before typically is paired with a pronoun (Before he…) whereas after is paired with verb-ing (After leaving…). Participants' eyes were tracked while they read Before/After-pronoun/verbing sentences. Reading times did not match the …

Essays On The Economics Of Immigration, Phuong Vu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

My dissertation consists of three papers studying the impact of social networks and employment mobility on Canadian immigrants, and the effects of economic conditions and immigration policy changes on international Ph.D. students in Canada. In the first paper, I use the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) to examine the effects of social networks on labour market outcomes of newly arrived Canadian immigrants. I find that the presence of initial networks at landing significantly increases the probability of getting a network job and reduces the probability of getting a formal job after landing. Across immigration categories, network effects vary, …

Smartphones For Smart Eating: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Smartphone Applications On Improving Adolescent Food Knowledge, Heather A. Jantzi

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Many Canadian adolescents have unhealthy eating habits which are risk factors for developing chronic diseases later in life. Food literacy plays a role in healthy eating habits but teens in Ontario currently lack sufficient nutrition education learning opportunities in home and school environments. Across health research, smartphones have been utilized as a novel medium to promote learning and alter behaviour. This thesis seeks to understand the effectiveness of smartphone applications at improving food knowledge in adolescents through (i) a systematic review of published interventions, and (ii) by investigating the efficacy of a novel location-based smartphone application. Findings from this thesis …

Putting The 'A' In Prosocial: Development And Validation Of A Measure Of Trait Altruism, Laura K.D. Johnson Msc

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Trait altruism reflects the tendency to perform behaviours with the goal of improving another’s welfare. Altruism is commonly measured using scales that assess how frequently the test-taker has performed specific prosocial actions. However, these scales assume that these behaviours are altruistically motivated and fail to consider what is known in the literature about the attitudes, values, and emotions that characterize altruistic individuals. Accordingly, altruism research would benefit from a new scale that draws upon the large body of interdisciplinary research and follows current best practices in scale development, as summarized in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 presents a review of the …

The Forgetting Of Fire: An Archaeology Of Technics, Thomas A. Doerksen

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This dissertation applies the methods of Bachelard and Foucault to key moments in the development of science. By analyzing the attitudes of four figures from four different centuries, it shows how epistemic attitudes have shifted from a participation in non-human, natural realities to a construction of human-centred technologies. The idea of an epistemic attitude is situated in reference to Foucault’s concept of the episteme and his method of archaeology; an attitude is the institutionally-situated and personally-enacted comportment of an epistemic agent toward an object of knowledge. This line of thought is pursued under the theme of elemental fire, which begins …

Head Shapes And Toothaches: A Study Of Cranial Modification And Dental Pathology At Muna, A Late Pre-Hispanic Cemetery From The Archaeological Sanctuary Of Pachacamac (Lima, Perú)., T Naomi Nakahodo Moromizato

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This thesis is a bioarchaeological analysis of cranial modification and dental pathology in a sample of human remains excavated from the pre-Hispanic MUNA cemetery. This cemetery was on the outskirts of the Archaeological Sanctuary of Pachacamac in the Lurín Valley. The cemetery was comprised of disturbed skeletal remains and relatively well preserved fardos funerarios (funerary bundles) from the Late Intermediate Period (1100-1470 CE) and early Late Horizon (1470-1532 CE). The results of this thesis show that the skeletal remains and fardos likely belonged to a single community, and the analyzed sample showed intra-site variation of the fronto-occipital cranial modification. The …

Championing Inclusive Education In Canada: Voices Of Educators, Advocates, And Researchers, Sydney K. Bota

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Previously conducted research overwhelmingly supports inclusive education for all students, however inclusive education is not always provided in Canada. This project aims to understand the current state of inclusive education in Canada. Participants included in this study were 33 experts in inclusive education in Canada and can be categorized into three groups: researchers, advocates, and educators. Chats regarding each participant’s experiences with inclusive education were transcribed and thematic analysis was used. Six themes emerged: Family; Values and beliefs; Definition of Inclusive Education; Networking/Connecting; Information, policy and implementation; and School systems. Results demonstrated that there are some happenings in inclusive education …

Developing Youth-Informed And Quality-Aware Spatial Accessibility Measures To Urban Parks Using A Survey-Based 2sfca Method In London, Ontario And Halifax, Nova Scotia, Zhe Chang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Park-related research has gained much attention in recent years, yet not enough studies have focused on the inequity of park accessibility and quality. These are crucial elements that influence youth’s park use, which in turn influence their physical, mental, and social development. Existing literature uses park size as the supply level to examine park accessibility but fails to consider any other park characteristics (e.g., amenities, general condition). This research developed youth-informed and quality-aware measures to consider the influence on park attraction by its quality and size rather than size only. This was implemented by consulting a youth advisory council to …

An Exploration Of Queer Women's Relationship With The Body And Physical Activity, Jade A. Bailey

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Traditional physical activity contexts are male-dominated, cis-heteronormative, and perpetuate Western beauty standards. Research has identified that queer women experience the lowest rates of physical activity participation, compared to other LGBTQ+ groups. The present study investigated the relationship between queer women’s (N = 70) body image, physical activity behaviour, and experiences. Participants completed one virtual focus group and four themes were identified: The Queer Women’s Body is Political; (in)Visibility of Sexual and Gender Identity in Physical Activity; Hypervigilance to Maintain Safety and Reduce Perpetuating Gender-Based Violence; and Desire for Spaces that Foster Safety, Belonging, and Connection. Findings revealed that queer …

A Multi-Method Assessment Of The Impact Of Stress On Families’ Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Andrew R. Daoust

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The COVID-19 pandemic was a pervasive disaster, creating stress for people across the globe. As such, understanding how pandemic-related stress has impacted individuals’ mental health is vital for guiding intervention programs and limiting the impact of future similar crises. This is especially true for youth, who are at heightened risk for mental disorder and may experience pandemic-related social stress as particularly aversive, given the developmental challenges unique to this period. Although substantial efforts have been made to measure the impact of the pandemic-related stress on individuals’ mental health, the pandemic’s relatively sudden onset has limited researchers’ abilities to conduct fulsome …

The Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of An Evidence-Based Social Media Campaign Designed To Enhance Social Connectedness For First-Year University Students, Julie Vo

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The primary purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the feasibility of a 10-week, evidence-based social media campaign (“iBelong@Western”) targeting the social connectedness of first-year university students (n = 30; M_age = 18.5, SD = 4.9) in London, Ontario. The secondary purpose was to explore participant perceptions of the campaign and its impact on social connectedness. Developed over a 3-month period using evidence-based approaches (e.g., participatory action research, SMILE framework), the campaign was implemented from March-May, 2023. Feasibility was assessed using social media analytics and data from one semi-structured interview; participant perceptions were explored using …

A Scoping Review Examining Treatment Components Of Classroom And Small Group School-Based Anxiety And Test Anxiety Interventions, Lindsay B. Pittman

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The purpose of the present scoping review was to provide a summary of (a) treatment components included in classroom and small group school-based interventions targeting anxiety or test anxiety, and (b) the frequency in which feasibility is considered within these evaluations, based on the framework proposed by Gadke and colleagues (2021). 105 articles were included in the analysis with 80 studies examining school-based anxiety interventions and 25 articles focusing on test anxiety. While cognitive behavioural therapy was the most common type of intervention, a variety of intervention types and treatment components emerged in the analysis. Furthermore, the social validity/acceptability feasibility …

Exploring The Experience Of Sexuality And Gender During The Healthcare Transition Of The Youth With Cerebral Palsy, Umma Salma

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Background: Transition from the pediatric to adult health care system is an important phase of healthcare for youth with cerebral palsy (CP). Sexuality and gender are two very important components of health that are mostly ignored in the healthcare transition process. It is possible that health care providers only see a client’s disability, and therefore, key aspects of sexuality and gender diversity may be ignored, or deemed irrelevant as a result of their disability status. Therefore, the purpose of our study is to explore how gender and sexuality may influence the experience of health care transition for youth with cerebral …

(In)Dependence, Socio-Sexual Relationships, And Sexual Health Among Adults With Mild Intellectual Disability (Mid): A Critical, Qualitative Exploration, Vanessa L.E. Cox Ms

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The purpose of this critical, qualitative study was to explore how adults with mild intellectual disability navigate independent socio-sexual relationships in settings where they are highly dependent upon caregivers and family members who exert significant control over most aspects of their lives. Data were gathered during one-on-one interviews conducted with adults with MID (n=15), and parental caregivers (n=6). Theoretical insights from critical disability studies and sexual citizenship were used to analyze the findings, which are presented thematically by study population. Participants with MID faced challenges to establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships, including a lack of choice about where and how …

Applying 3d Structured Light Scanning To Roman Leather Insoles From Vindolanda: A Novel Approach To Podiatric Data Collection, Maria Lorene Glanfield

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This thesis research introduces a novel 3D structured light scanning and digital, post-processing enhancement methodology influenced by digital approaches used in anthropological archaeology, ichnology, and forensic podiatry to the analysis of Roman leather insoles from Vindolanda. The primary objective was to capture 2D and 3D footprint impression evidence on the surface of 81 insoles for enhanced visualization and analysis in order to refine the quality of podiatric data that can be extracted from Roman footwear. I conducted three case studies (pointed toe, sandal, and children’s insoles) based on a set of distinct, but related research questions concerning the refinement of …

Nato Cyber Defence, 2000-2022, Ryan J. Atkinson

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The emergence of more devastating and organized cyber attacks by non-attributable threat actors internationally raises questions about whether classical deterrence theory in its contemporary form has assisted important military defence alliances, like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to adapt to the changing threat landscape. The timeline of the NATO Alliance's adaptation to external cyber threats is examined at critical historical junctures. Changes and adaptation within internal policy-making processes at NATO headquarters and its affiliated centres, think tanks, and military bases are analysed with input from informed decision-makers. The research project demonstrates that NATO policy substantively changed over the period …

Childhood Irritability: A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective, Ola Mohamed Ali

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Irritability, defined as a low threshold for anger, is a transdiagnostic feature of diverse forms of psychopathology and a rapidly growing literature implicates it in child maladaptation. Existing literature has focused on characterizing irritability in children with psychopathology, using conceptualizations and methods designed to assess more severely maladaptive behavior, usually via parent report. However, emerging work suggests that, even in the absence of dysfunction, normative variations in irritability are associated with increased risk for disorder, suggesting that irritability in childhood is a quantitatively distributed trait that covaries with vulnerability to psychopathology. Additionally, parent-report methods may be subject to an array …

Young Arabs In Canada: Ethnic Identity And Intersectionality, Rama Eloulabi

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Arabs make up almost 2% of the population in Canada, and their numbers are growing rapidly. Yet, literature on Arabs in Canada is sparse, both from academic and governmental sources. Using ethnic identity and intersectionality frameworks, this study explores the meanings of Arab identity for youth in Ontario, Canada, and the interactions between their Arab identity and their other identities. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted in Arabic and English with 30 participants (ages 18-30) who are from, or whose background is from, the Arab world. Findings highlighted the diversity of the population, and the themes that emerged regarding self-identification with …

Understanding Urban Energy Landscapes Through A Territorialization Lens: A Comparative Case Study Of Energy Use In Two Eco-Districts - Parc Marianne, Montpellier And Olympic Village, Vancouver, Dominica Babicki

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To address the problem of transitioning to a lower-carbon energy system this dissertation, addresses energy use in eco-districts to provide insights into what a low carbon future could look like and on how it can contribute to the development of sustainable energy landscapes. To understand the role of energy in eco-districts, an Urban Energy Landscape (UEL) conceptual framework is used to investigate energy distribution and usage in two case study eco-districts, with one located in Montpellier, France (Parc Marianne) and the other in Vancouver, Canada (Olympic Village). To reveal how UELs can lead to the development of sustainable energy landscapes, …

The Effects Of Audiovisual Input On Second Language Learning: A Meta-Analysis, Dru M. Sutton

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This meta-analysis investigates the contributions of viewing audiovisual input on second language (L2) learning. We calculated 75 effect sizes from 56 experiments (n = 1954). We assessed the effects of audiovisual input on language learning using a within-group (pre-post) meta-analytic approach. The extent to which fifteen moderator variables influenced results was assessed. Several methodologically and pedagogically relevant results were found. Results showed that a) there was a medium effect of audiovisual input on L2 learning (g = 1.01); b) no differences were found between the effects of viewing audiovisual input on different areas of L2 learning (vocabulary, grammar, …